Quest For Revenge
by ForeverInfatuated
Summary: Captain Hook is about to finally get his revenge on Rumplestiltskin but when he goes to his castle, he finds someone he didn't expect instead. No Curse AU. Dark Hook.
1. Chapter 1

Today was the day where Killian Jones exacted his revenge on that bloody crocodile once and for all.

He had finally made his return from Neverland equipped with squid ink and a barrel full of dreamshade and no sooner than he stepped into his first tavern in centuries did he hear tales of the dark ones disappearance. From his knowledge- or rather, the poor souls he had strung up and tortured for information - there was supposed to be a dark curse cast on this whole miserable kingdom but it was stopped by a strong force of light magic. No one had any clue how it happened. All they knew was that it had scared off the evil queen - who hadn't been seen since then - and that the kingdom was saved. Rumour has it that the dark one had been freed from his prison and retreated back to his castle where he spent the rest of his days. That had been exactly twenty-eight years ago.

Hook was especially delighted to hear that last part. So, he mused, the crocodiles plan had been foiled so he spent decades wallowing in his own defeat. The thought practically made his heart sing. However, he thought, it still wasn't as cruel or tortuous as he deserved. He deserved pain, death, despair - everything he put Milah through.

From that moment, he hunted down the dark one's lair to finally complete his destiny in killing that monster.

It took weeks. He had to ditch his crew and trek through the woods alone,with nothing but his chosen weapons,but he finally reached the front of the worn down castle. From the outside, it looked grim and bleak but as soon as he snuck his way instead, he could see it was falling apart. The whole interior of the hallways and most of the rooms he darted by looked like they had been hit by Zeus's most fearsome storms. It gave him hope that the crocodile was more weak than the rumours portrayed. It was clear from his home and absence that he had given up. Hook was all too willing to put him out of his misery.

After minutes of searching as stealthily as he could, he finally heard movement in a nearby room. He crept up to the heavy door that was already cracked open and peered through. There he could see him. The Dark One. The bastards back was facing the door but that definitely had to be him. He was wearing a brown cloak with a hood covering his head as he fiddled around with a spinning wheel, working away rhythmically .

Hook briefly closed his eyes and sent a prayer to Milah, telling her that she was about to be avenged, before clutching his vial full of squid ink. He would freeze the bastard with this before running him through with his dreamshade-soaked hook. That would be sure to kill him.

Without wasting another second, he jumped into the room and splashed the figure with the ink before he had a chance to react. "Didn't think I'd ever best you, did you, Dark One?" He asked mockingly with a cruel laugh. He was running on a high now that he finally had an upperhand on Rumplestitlskin. "I told you I'd find a way to kill you." He gloated as he strutted up to him, hook raised at the ready to strike. "Any last words, crocodile?" He asked before grabbing the hood and snatching it away down.

What he expected was to see a weak, old man with eyes that begged for death. What he seen was waves of diamond white hair spilling out from the cloak and a beautiful face staring back at him stoically .

"How about, who the hell are you?" The woman sassed at him with a low, husky voice. Now he was in front of her, he could see what was clearly a goddess dressed in rags. Her cheekbones were high like a royals, her chin strong and defined, her lips full even when stretched into a scowl, her hair was unearthly, long and soft, so white it looked like it was shining - as did the rest of her face. She just seemed to radiate light. Her eyes, green and stormy, seemed to stare into his very soul, taking him apart piece by piece.

For the first time in centuries, Hook was genuinely taken aback. He shook his head slightly to rid himself of this sirens facade. Whoever this woman was, she was in the Dark One's castle. She had to know of his whereabouts.

"I think," He started again smoothly, as if he'd never stopped in the first place, He slipped back into his cocky exterior and waved the hook in front of her to intimate her into talking. "I should be asking you that, lass. After all, you did just waste my squid ink." He said with a dangerous, almost playful, tone to his voice.

Once again, the woman did not seem to be fazed or impressed by him whatsoever. "I must have missed the sign in front of the castle that tells strangers to sneak in here and splash me with their magical freezing potions." She retorted as sarcastically as humanly possible. This lass had a spark and while it amused him, it got him no closer to the crocodile.

"Funny." He commented dryly. "But unfortunately for you, I'm running on a time schedule. Tell me where the Dark One is and I'll spare your life." He offered her as his hand went to the belt of his sheath for his cutlass. He never could kill women or children even while bloodthirsty for his revenge and there was no difference now. However, there was no way the lass could know his bluff and he could rough her up a little until she was scared enough to tell him what he wanted to know.

Her eyebrow's furrowed together in what looked like confusion, not the initial reaction he expected from his threat, before she spoke again. "You mean Rumplestiltskin?" She questioned almost incredulously. He gave a huff and shot her an irritated look.

"Who else?" He questioned rhetorically. It seemed that for all the wit this woman seemed to have, her intelligence was to be questioned. Why the bloody hell else would he be in the Dark One's castle?

She remained quiet for an uncomfortable few seconds, glancing down at the spinning wheel before meeting his eyes again. "Rumplestiltskin hasn't been in this castle for almost thirty years and I sincerely doubt he ever will." She answered truthfully.

A red mist of anger clouded Hook's vision and he immediately kicked the spinning wheel so hard it broke upon impact to the floor. "Damn!" He cursed, turning to pace back and forth as he thought out his next move. Every time he thought he had that crocodile in his grasp, something like this happened. Now he was back to square one with no way how to track this bastard apart from a mystery woman who had more sass than sense.

Once he finally calmed down enough to string together a cohesive sentence, He knelt down until their faces were level with each other. "You're a very beautiful woman, you know." He started slowly, his words low and threatening, as he tracked his hook along her arm and up to her swan-like neck. "I'd hate to ruin such a pretty face..." He trailed off, holding the curve of his hook under her chin even though she couldn't look away even if she wanted to. It was just a show of power and dominance. "But I will if I don't get the answers I want." He promised darkly.

Her lips curled with disdain and the defiance in her eyes was stronger than ever. For a moment, he could swear that she was about to pounce on him - and not in the fun way either. Still, she never gave a witty reply so he started with his interrogation with something simple. "What's your name?" He asked with a self-satisfied smirk. He was so sure he had her right where he wanted her.

However he was starting to learn with this woman, she would always do the unexpected.

She spat at him.

He growled at her as he wiped the spit from his cheek. Brave lass, he couldn't help but think, lesser men had crumbled before him even with their mobility in tact.

He was in for a long night.


	2. Chapter 2

Tedious hours had passed and still Hook got no answers from the beautiful woman.

He'd taken to calling her Swan because she reminded him so much of one and she wouldn't give her real name. As well as that, he had to tie her down for when the squid ink wore off - he could already tell that she was wild and fierce enough to try and attack him even with his weapons on show - and despite his warnings, he hadn't laid a hand on her. Hitting a woman, despite her stubbornness, still didn't sit right with him.

The longer he stood there interrogated, the more amused the Swan girl looked. One would think he was telling her a limerick rather than threatening her life. "Give it up, pirate." She said with a sigh.It was clear that she was getting tired as the minutes droned on.

"I don't think you understand the seriousness of your situation, love," He warned her before abruptly pulling her chair closer to him and leaning down so their faces were once more level. His arms stayed on either side of her to once again try to intimidate her but her stormy gaze stayed on his with no trace of fear in them. "I am no ordinary pirate. In fact, I am one of the worst there is." He told her with a smug tone to his voice. "My weapon is not just a dashing accessory, its who I am. The most feared Captain in all the seven seas and although my absence has been long, I'm sure you've still heard of my legend." He finished with his lips stretched into a smirk. He was proud of his achievements and the havoc he'd wrecked so he had no problem bragging about it.

"Nope." She replied with a bored look. That shocked him into speechlessness.

"Excuse me, wench?"

"I've never heard of you."

"Thats bloody impossible!" He snapped at her. Parents warned their children about him and his fearsome crew, drunkards sang shanties in their name, criminals idolised their every move and high-collared blue bloods feared that they would be their next target. It didn't matter how long he'd been gone from this realm, the stories of what he'd done had travelled generations... Unless, "How long have you been alone in this castle?"

"As long as I can remember." She answered with a shrug.

Hook softened after that. Not only had she finally answered one of his questions with an actual answer but she also revealed how she'd never heard of him. She'd been here since childhood, likely kidnapped by the Dark One like Belle had been before her. What he didn't understand is why she would leave after the crocodile being gone for so long.

This woman confused him more with each second.

Hook was conflicted. His morals were put into question for the first time he started on his quest for revenge. He stood up straight and turned his back to the woman who had so quickly distracted him from his destiny to kill Rumplestiltskin once and for all. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair as he thought about his options. He could either go back against his code and torture her for information like he had done with so many men before, or he could let her go. He would be back to square one with no knowledge of the Dark One's whereabouts, no squid ink to freeze him with and no guaranteed amount of time to find him.

After minutes of painstaking silence, he made his decision.

Before he could change his mind, he turned back to the blonde and slashed his hook down. He cut the ropes tying her arms to the chair. Ignoring her look of surprise, he began to cut away the rest of her constraints.

"Well let this be the first story of Captain Hook in your memory." He said almost softly. If any of his mates seen this display of mercy, they'd have him hogtied and keelhauled by sundown. "Now, I don't know your story and you've been tightlipped about everything to do with the Dark One so far, but I would like to propose a truce." He told her after she was released but she made no move to stand. "Join me for a drink at the tavern in the next village over, or be alone once more with nothing but a broken wheel to keep you company." Hook offered with a knowing look.

If she accepted then maybe she'd start talking after a few libations but if she declined he would know that she was either trapped in this castle or she was protecting the crocodile. If it was the latter then he'd have to return with his crew and either take her away from here by force to use as leverage - unharmed, of course - or leave her to her own misery. For some reason both of those options made his chest tighten.

"What'll it be, love?" He asked, offering Swan his good hand to take or push away. "The choice is yours."


	3. Chapter 3

Emma had lived the majority of her life alone. It was where she was comfortable, it was where she was safe. No one could hurt her and she couldn't hurt anyone else. The silence made her feel safe.

It was that reason that she was holed up away in the dark castle for so long.

Her day had started like any other, with her turning straw to gold at the spinning wheel from dusk to dawn. She didn't like to sleep and rarely ever ate so this is what she mostly done to pass time. She'd spent a large part of her life in this castle and in that time, explore every nook and cranny of the premise, read every dull book in the library - except the spell books, gods knew only what kind of Pandora's box she was opening with that - sorted through the antiques, clean the whole place more times than she can count and doing many other boring, tedious chores that she didn't care to list off.

The point was, she had her routine.

She knew how to occupy her time and for good reason. She couldn't let herself get bored and give into the temptation to leave the castle grounds.  
In theory, it was a good plan. She lived her life in solitude in a place where no one dared traveling to. That was, until him.

Hook barged in like a madman on a mission. If she wasn't so sure he was here looking for someone else, she may have attempted to flee. Well, that and the squid ink that froze her in place while he went off on his obviously rehearsed rant. Thankfully her back was turned to him when she rolled her eyes.

However when he stood in front of her, her eyes didn't flicker away from his for a second. Perhaps she was so fascinated with him because he was the first person to share her company in so long, perhaps it was because of the intense blue colour of his eyes that reminded her of the ocean she'd only read about in books, or perhaps it was because he was intriguing to her. In front of her stood a bloodthirsty pirate willing to stop at nothing to kill the Dark One, and yet, his eyes told a different story. He was broken. He didn't come here with the intent of killing Rumplestiltskin for his power, he wanted him dead for personal reasons and there was part of her that wondered if Hook truly thought he was going to win or die today.

Either way, he seemed to soften when he spoke to her. Whether that was because he was disappointed she wasn't who he thought she was or something deeper under the surface, she didn't particularly care either way.

He was dangerous and she wasn't going to help a villain.

Especially after his temper snapped and he broke the spinning wheel next to her. She was sure he would try and do the same thing to her.  
Despite his many threats to hurt her or end her life, he never left a single mark on her. In fact, the only time he even touched her was to tie her arms and legs to the chair she was sitting on. That definitely made her raise an eyebrow.

If he was as evil and cruel as he bragged about, why was he showing her mercy?

She knew he wasn't just blowing hot air about his stories because she had an ability to see past lies and he was telling the absolute truth.

It was clear to her from the start that he was going to stop at nothing to find his enemy. Part of her wanted to send him on a wild goose chase but her conscience didn't sit well with that, and another part of her believed that if she told him the truth then he'd be quick to kill her before she'd finished answering what he so badly wanted to find out. She decided to wait him out and sit in silence, studying him.

He was a very attractive man, she concluded. His eyes were far wiser than his years, his body firm and tight from whatever dubious activities pirating entailed, his hair wild and untamed - much like his temper - and his face looked like it had been sculpted by angels. Emma had no reference of men other than famous paintings of royalty that were hung along the walls of the castle and she always believed no one could look like any of those men but Hook did as well as taking it one step further with his dark and brooding persona. She let herself enjoy the view as she had already decided that she would never see him again after today. Either he would leave the castle or she would force him out. No matter what the conclusion was, he wasn't going to get the answers he wanted.

It wasn't until he had nicknamed her that she actually started speaking. She'd heard many nicknames of herself over the years, seen a lot of them written too, but never had one been as... Flattering, as Swan.

"You really haven't heard any word of the Dark One?" Emma questioned even though she knew the answer. Alright, no one knew the true story of Rumplestiltskin but surely there had to be whispers on the outside world. She hadn't kept track of how long she'd been in here but it couldn't have been so long that no one heard Rumplestiltskin was out of commission.

"All I know is that when I left this realm, the Dark One was everywhere and tormenting everyone, and when I came back, he's missing." Hook answered irritably. "You're in his castle and you're the only one who could know where he went."

"Unless I came here when he wasn't here?" She said as more of a suggestion rather than a legitimate clue, just to humour him.

"Did you?" He demanded, narrowing those beautiful blue eyes.

She shrugged.

"You're bloody impossible, Swan." He grumbled, lifting his hand to his forehead and soothing away the migraine that was surely forming.

A feeling of playfulness swept over Emma and it was foreign to her. She liked teasing this man and pushing him to his limits. It wasn't something she had got to do as a child so Hook was a good outlet for roleplaying some of those lost experiences. The feeling stayed with her even as he continued to drill out for information. She either shrugged him off or wound him up, seeing how long it would take for him to snap.  
She almost wanted him to act out and strike her. It would give her an excuse to force him away from her presence and never return, but a small part of her enjoyed sparring with him - even if it was just verbal.

Eventually she put a stop to it. Hook had already spent too much time here and she couldn't let herself become affected by his presence. She had to go back to the silence, go back to being alone where nothing bad could happen. "Give it up, pirate." She told him tiredly. Her spirits were dampened by the realization that she actually liked talking to him - even if it was just an attempt to piss him off - and soon he would be gone. She told herself it was for the best.

It was then that he pulled her closer to him until he was inappropriately close to her with their faces only inches apart. His strong arms were on either side of her, trapping her even more into the chair. He didn't seem to realize that she couldn't be intimidated because he kept trying.  
He droned on about his 'accomplishments' as a pirate captain as if it was something to be proud of. She had to admit he wasn't acting like she thought a pirate would have in a kind of situation like this but that didn't mean he was good. He chose to do bad things, chose to do those deeds that got him such a deadly reputation, chose to wear his body count like a badge of honour.

That made it all the more sweeter to tell him she'd never heard of him. Sure there were a lot of books of different kind of legendary pirates in the library such as; Sinbad, Blackbeard, Bluebeard, Anne Bonny, Black Bart and Jack Sparrow, but never a Captain Hook. She speculated that no one ever lived long enough to write his tale - that or Rumple deliberately destroyed any stories of him but she doubted he would waste time to do such a fruitless task as that.

"How long have you been alone in this castle?"

His question threw her off guard. In truth, Emma had no clue how long she'd been here. She'd stopped keeping count a long time ago and kept the curtains closed over the windows a lot of the times so the rising and falling of the sun wasn't any indication. She decided to answer this one question because... Well, she didn't have a reason. She'd never really gotten to talk to anyone about being alone before and there was something in Hook's eyes and tone that held an understanding of some sort.

"As long as I can remember."

He looked like he deflated after that. The understanding in his eyes was more prominent than ever and she couldn't help but stare at him once more. There was something so strange about this man. He was so clearly dangerous and wanted people to fear him yet at the same time, he was so expressive and, dare she say it, sympathetic.

Hook turned away from her and for a moment, she thought he was finally going to give up and leave.

However, as it turned out, he didn't seem to give up so easily. After a few terse minutes, he turned to her and slashed his hook at her arm. She didn't flinch but she did believe this was the moment he was going to strike - instead, he cut through the ropes, not her flesh like she predicted.  
She stared at him in bewilderment but he avoided her eyes for the first time since he stood in front of her.

"Well let this be the first story of Captain Hook in your memory." He started as he cut away the rest of the ropes. "Now, I don't know your story and you've been tight-lipped about everything to do with the Dark One so far, but I would like to propose a truce."

Emma remained seated even after the ropes were all gone. She couldn't find it in her to move and risk cutting him off before she could hear his proposal.

"Join me for a drink at the tavern in the next village over, or be alone once more with nothing but a broken wheel to keep you company. What'll it be, love?" He offered her his hand like a traditional gentleman would.

Here he was, offering her solitude once again - something she had wanted since the second he barged in here - but it didn't sound so appealing anymore. Then again, neither did leaving the castle, especially with a complete stranger. She thought on the subject for a long time, till the silence between them turned awkward. She knew she'd be safe if she sent him away but is that what she wanted? To spend the rest of her life just being safe? No one had ever offered her an alternative before. She decided that if more Captain Hook stories ended the way that one just had, she wouldn't mind being apart of them... Maybe just this once, she would be rebellious.

Emma smiled and took his hand, and the smile she got in return was dazzling.

One drink couldn't hurt, she concluded.


	4. Chapter 4

The walk to the town over was done mostly in silence.

Surprisingly, Swan seemed to be incredibly unfamiliar with these woods once they were past the gates of the castle. It was as if she had never travelled here before which further proved his theory that she had been captured by the Dark One and had stayed there due to fear or trauma. Hook had honestly been expecting some sort of backlash once the blonde left the castle - given how hesitant she was about it - but his eyebrows raised when she barely batted an eyelid after leaving which meant that no curse had trapped her there. He vowed to start asking more questions about her and stay away from Dark One territory so she might actually open up.

Even with Hook's new determination to get to know the curious woman next to him, he couldn't bring himself to break the silence between them. There was no awkwardness - it almost felt peaceful. He made a habit of pulling low-hanging tree branches away so she didn't have to duck under them and offering his arm when there was a particularly bumpy pathway or leading her around any mud that she could potentially slide over. Whenever he did any of that, she shot him a small, barely there smile and it made his heart race in ways he hadn't thought possible.

There was something about this Swan girl that made him want to put his revenge on hold just to get to know her.

Had that been anyone else in that castle with information about Rumplestiltskin, they would be hanging from their ankles, dripping with blood, beaten and bruised until they gave up said information... But the thought of hurting _her_ in any way - minor or otherwise - made him feel sick.

"Penny for your thoughts?" A gentle voice broke him out of his inner turmoil.

"Nothing, love, I'm afraid the ponderings of this old sea dogs is not even worth that."

"You're lying." She stated so simply, giving him one of those looks that made him feel like she was staring into his soul. "I always know when people lie to me." She told him as if to clarify. "What are you thinking of?"

"What does it matter?" He asked rather harshly. All of a sudden, he felt like he was the one being interrogated.

"Well I'd rather not walk into creepy, empty woods with someone alone if they're plotting to kill me in their head. Or maybe you're thinking of ways to wring me of information on Rumplestiltskin. Or maybe-" She started to ramble off so he decided to cut her short.

He could hear a wariness in her voice even though she was trying to play it off light-heartedly. She didn't trust him yet and why should she? They'd only known each other for a few hours and in that time he'd broken into her.. Home? Place where she was currently staying, tied her up and grilled her for information. As well as that, he'd bragged about his acts of cruelty as a pirate. No one in their right mind would trust him - and usually he didn't care if they did! "I was thinking that you confuse me." He told her quietly as he lifted up another branch for her to walk gracefully past without interrupting her stride. "You dress in rags even though you walk like royalty, you're clearly well-spoken and I'd bet my ship that you're well-read too yet you spend your time doing chores around an empty castle, you're a beautiful woman yet there's no men fighting for your hand. So just tell me, Swan, who are you?"

His enquiries did what they intended and distracted her from her distrust, she looked entirely lost in her own thought now. The truth was, he wanted to get her drunk to pry some information about the Dark One from her and he couldn't do that if she decided to turn back to the castle.

"Wouldn't you like to know." She settled for as an answer with an almost playful sparkle in her eyes.

That very sparkle had him enchanted enough to let his hand slip on the branch and whack himself in the face with the leaves. The sound of her giggling almost made the embarrassment worth it.

When they finally reached town, he watched as the blonde pulled her hood back over her head like how he had originally found her. It was like she was trying to shield herself. It was just another barrier for her and the world.

"Why do you hide away from everyone?" He asked curiously, keeping the same gentle tone he'd adapted in the castle. It seemed to be the only way for her to answer any questions.

"It's safe." She replied simply.

Hook wasn't sure if she was purposely trying to keep herself as mysterious as possible or if she had practice hiding her true self from everyone. He would find out sooner or later.

"No need to worry about safety when you're with me, love, I'll protect you from whatever you fear." He offered her with a charming smile, trying to woo her into trusting him. It was like the mores she pushed him away, the more he wanted to know her. It was the pirate in him that wanted the forbidden - which, in this case, was Swan's story.

"I'm not the one who needs protecting." She murmured before brushing past him to walk into the main streets of the town.

He furrowed his eyebrows before shaking himself out of his confusion and moving to catch up with her. He brushed her comment off as another of her strange musings and lead her to the tavern his crew were most likely drinking themselves stupid at. "Have you ever been in a tavern before, darling?" He asked with a knowing smirk as he held the door open for her.

His answer was met with a shake of her head as she stared in curiosity at the sight before her. There were groups of men all huddled over different tables, all equally loud as each other. Some had their arms round their mates' shoulders and singing songs terribly off-key, some in the middle playing a game of dice and yelling in triumph whenever they got a good roll, a few quieter ones sitting at the bar either nursing their drink alone or passed out drunk on the counter top and, of course, spare ones that were following around the tavern wenches like lapdogs. It was just like any old, run of the mill tavern. He'd been in better but he'd also been in seedier. Swan, however, looked fascinated by it all, proving to him that she truly never had left that castle. If she was like this with a crappy tavern then god knows what her reaction would be if she ever seen the treasures of the world like the city of Agrabah or the magical waters of Lake Nostos or even a decent restaurant!

He hated that he had an urge to show her all of that and more.

He squashed those feelings down and told himself that he was only being nice to her to get what he wanted. If he couldn't use violence on her then he'd trick her.

"Come on, love," He led her inside and pulled her out a seat in the darkest corner. He was hoping that the more secluded they were, the more she'd talk. "I'll be right back." He told her before going to the bar and ordering them a bottle of rum and two tankards.

When he returned to the table, Swan was watching the game of dice intently as if trying to analyse the rules from afar.

"That's me crew over there." Hook pointed out, startling her slightly. He gestured over to the group of men she was watching again with the rum bottle in hand. "They're all dreadful at cheating though, too obvious when they're drunk - surprised there hasn't been an all out brawl yet." He finished, musing the last part more to himself. "If you want to learn a new game, love, I'll give you some advice," He sat down closely next to her and smirked when he seen her eyebrows lifting in caution.

"Learn from the best." Hook told her lowly, his mouth close to her ear so she could hear him. He couldn't help but felt a bolt of satisfaction go through him when he felt her shudder. Before she could yell at him for personal space or try to distance himself in other ways, he lifted his hand in front of her to show two dice that appeared as if from nowhere.

His Swan looked at him in intrigue, her mood seemingly forgotten.

It had taken Hook a while to get her to drink but when she did, the result was rather anti-climatic. He assumed since she had never left the castle that she had never tasted rum before - or any other booze for that matter - but once again, she proved him wrong since she was drinking her glass like it was water. She told him that she had liked the taste after her first try and damn near finished half the bottle by the time he was on his third glass - and she didn't even seem tipsy! He sent a silent prayer of thanks to whatever god was listening that he hadn't sat with his crew with her because if they seen a tiny blonde woman drink their Captain under the table, he'd be a laughing stock.

Other than that, he was actually having fun with her.

He had explained to her the game of dice and how to cheat at it but she wasn't having any of it.

"Does it really count as winning if you cheat?" She questioned him with a smirk stretching her lips.

"Does it really count as cheating if you never get caught?" He rebutted, shooting a smirk right back at her. He felt another bolt of pride when he made that wonderful laugh come out of her again. He had a feeling that she didn't do it a lot so whenever he managed to pull one out of her, it felt like an accomplishment.

They played a couple of rounds of 'fair' dice with no loaded dice or tricks up one's sleeve until the rum had finished. He had barely noticed it because he was having so much fun with her. She had witty comebacks to him, her 'trash talk' - her words not his - always made him chuckle and she had a real knack for winning at this game. It seemed that Swan simply had a talent for besting him.

It took him a while after that to remember why he had even brought her here in the first place: Information.

"So.." He started with a slow smile, leaning back against his chair casually as he lifted his arm over her shoulder. He had done it with such finesse that she hadn't seemed to notice until his hand moved to her shoulder and even then, she didn't make an effort to push it off. He was almost certain she even leaned into him. "Have I finally earned enough trust to know your true name, Swan?" He asked, thinking that he was starting off with an easy question. It was breezy enough for her to simply shrug off as him wanting to get to know her. However, one would think that he asked her to describe her parents' death in explicit detail with the way she looked at him after it.

He should have known.

The only thing this woman seemed to fear more than possible torture, was lowering the walls she'd built inside herself.

"What's yours?" She asked with a straight face. Any traces of playfulness and teasing were long gone now and she was back to intensely staring at him, forcing him to face his own demons within her emerald-coloured eyes. He figured the way to get her to open up, it was to take the first step - so even though no one alive in this day and age knew his real name, he opened his mouth and out came,

"Killian Jones."

Her hardened exterior seemed to melt at his honesty which let him know he'd made the right move. She shyly tucked a piece of stray hair back underneath her hood again before returning his honesty with hers.

"My name is Emma."

Hook took her hand in his and raised it to his lips to place a gentle kiss to her knuckles, returning her stare from under his eyelashes.

"Pleasure to meet you, Emma." He told her lowly, his gaze pure seduction.

Just then, a blind drunk stumbled back onto their table with a guffaw, his tankard raised above his head after making contact with the wood and soaking them both. Emma shot out of her seat with a gasp, looking down at her rags. She growled almost animalistically and looked back up at the drunk man. Her eyes had even more fire in them than usual as she looked at the man like she wanted to rip him to shreds. Hook never thought such a kind and gentle woman like this even had a temper but boy was he wrong. Just when he thought she was about to pounce, he stood next to her and lightly pulled her back. It seemed to snap her out of whatever had come over her and she looked directly into his eyes which let him see the sheer terror in hers.

"Emma...?"

Before anything else could be said, she abruptly pulled away from him, hugging her arms to herself to shield herself again.

"I'm sorry I have to go." She rushed the words out before quite literally bolting out of the tavern.

"Wha- Emma!" He called after her, eyes widening as he watched her go. He wanted to stick his hook into the drunk man's throat for ruining the moment that had taken all night to make but then he would miss his chance to catch up with her. If she got back to that castle, there was no stopping her from locking him out more thoroughly. He let the bastard live and dashed outside the tavern instead.

"Emma?!" He called out but he couldn't see a hint of her rags or hair anywhere in the crowds of the main street.

"Swan! _SWAN_!"


End file.
